Microsoft posts strong U.S. search gains, but Google rules

Microsoft’s (MSFT) search business maintained strong growth in September, gaining on second-place Yahoo (YHOO). But Google (GOOG) remained the search leader, handling 54 percent of U.S. queries, according to Nielsen Online.

Looking at the September numbers alone, it appears that Microsoft accomplished a coup with its 71.5 percent year-over-year gain in search volume, capturing 12 percent of the market. But Microsoft’s growth hasn’t been steady. In July it handled nearly 14 percent of search queries according to Nielsen, and in April it handled just 9 percent. Google, meanwhile, has consistently captured about 55 percent of searches, and Yahoo about 20 percent.

Search volume is important to each company’s online business goals. The more searches a company handles, the more opportunities it has to serve ads to its users, and make money when people click on them. High search volume is also attractive to advertisers; the more searches a company handles, the greater the chance that any given ad will be seen.